Sian Beilock: "Choke"
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2010-09-23/sian-beilock-choke
Sian Beilock in her lab August 25, 2010
Jason Smith via nsitwebservices (The University of Chicago News Office) on Flickr
A psychologist and expert on brain science talks about why we "choke" when stressed. She paints a portrait of how people handle -- successfully or unsuccessfully -- life's daily pressures.
Guests
Sian Beilock
professor of psychology at the University of Chicago.
Comments
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My biggest problem is performing in front of my music teachers. My mind goes blank, my fingers will not work.
I know this is a common problem for students; we play well at home, but during our lessons we mess up royally. Can Ms. Beilock give us any hints about how to handle performance anxiety?
Memory researchers are excited about the possibility that taking practice tests improves learning and subsequent real (now it counts) test performance a lot more than does just studying what you need to learn. Maybe this is because you need to practice retrieving what you've studied to know how to get it back during the test, or maybe it's because taking a test gives you practice at dealing with pressure (even if it's only a fake test). What do you think? Thanks, Tom Carr
I usually get very nervous before public speaking, job interviews, and meetings with new people. What does it mean if I'm NOT nervous before one of these events? This rarely happens, but almost scares me more than being nervous when it does.
Also, how can you calm yourself down when you do start to panic in a meeting or interview?
How Can I help my High school Freshman with quizs, tests and finals. He is continually getting to a few points from and "A" or a few point from a "B" just because of simple mistakes.
Mom of 4 boys
I get nervous whenever I am asked a question offguard, even if I am well versed on a subject. I just forget for a moment and then stumble over words before I recover.
I'm a single mom of a 3 year old & a graduate student preparing for my defense this semester. Can you recommend a way to handle the kind of stress that is infusing my daily life? For instance I notice that this semester I'm losing my usual sense of humor with which I handle the multiple daily situations of life with a toddler - how can I regain my composure & calm in spite of the rising stakes of my looming thesis defense? In other words, how do you handle longer term stress - not just the moment of my thesis defense, but the months of build-up to it. Thanks for any suggestions you have.
I coach a team sport and have noticed a cascading effect when some players choke, and for some reason effecting the rest of the team and resulting in an overall decrease in team performance.
What's happening here?
Thanks, listen everyday and love the show...
Scott
Cincinnati, Ohio
I remember playing contact sports such as football and lacrosse and it always seemed that the 'butterflies' went away after the first hit.
Are high stress physical situations where there is physical contact easier to cope with then say high pressure non contact situations like a tennis match?
Joe Rosapepe
Hagerstown, MD
Does "choke" provide insights for those of us suffering with Generalized Anxiety Disorder?
Thanks!
This is a great discussion. We are now studying in one of our family therapy models in school at NSU, how our societal narratives can unwittingly work to oppress us. For example as you mentioned lower scores in school, belief in the ability to achieve not only good grades but a certain job etc.
I'm a smi-professional cellist, and when I was in my teens and 20s I would choke so badly that I could barely play at all. I'm now in my 50s, and have become a very successful soloist. I play in chuch, not always a solo, every week. And I make myself play solos about every other month. In other words, I practice performing. If I don't perform that often, I start to choke again.
I SOLVED my choking problem on math tests In high school through the use of 30 days straight of Computer BIO Feed Back Training. It educated me on how to effectively control my brain wave patterns, I have found that training invaluable.
I just heard your caller talking about how her daughter 'choked' in her musical performances.
This hit home to me because I am a professional musician and instructor.
Firstly, everyone gets stagefright in some degree, especially early on.
Learning the skill to deal with it is the same as learning the skill to play the instrument.
I would love for your caller to have these tips of advice:
1) making music about FUN. Music is emotion and it should be fun first and stressing that to the student.
2) Forget the word 'competition'. art is not sport and never a competition. There is no 'best', only one person's opinion, which always differs from the next persons.
3) when on stage, forget the audience as much as possible. If you have a teacher/conductor/fellow musicians on stage - play to them. If you are truly alone on stage, play to the one person you know in the audience, or to the back wall. Try your best not to care about judges or the audience.
4) laugh at mistakes. You see this all the time...anytime you see a band playing and they look and laugh at each other - its almost always because somebody made a mistake.
It is very natural to change how you play when you know someone is listening. Many professional musicians don't want people recording them in concert because they go into 'recording' mode, where they are suddenly more self conscious.
All in all - its about fun, and keeping the focus on what you are doing and forgetting everyone else so you can....relax...which is when you perform the best.
How does this research relate to gender-segregated education? And perhaps more disturbingly, if racial identification on tests affects results, is there some justification for racial segregation in education--assuming equality of opportunity, facility, teaching staff, etc.
For anyone who wants to overcome choking, especially when having to speak in front of a group, joining a club of Toastmasters International is the best method. This worldwide organization puts you in a practice situation exactly as is described by Sian Beilock. I now understand why our club meeting experience is so important -- anyone can practice in front of a mirror, but having to speak in front of a group where everyone is wanting you to do well (the club meeting) then replicates that environment where you have to perform for your job, or an interview, or a speech, etc. I'll be recommending this book to all of my Toastmasters' friends.
WoW i've thought about this subject for the last 10 years.
I can remember when I was in the third grade standing in front of the class and the teacher asking me to solve a math problem. My mind racing and choking. Fast forward not to long ago I went on a job interview and again I chocked, in this interview I was asked to preform a task I do very well (shooting video and editing for news). I was nervous and started to sweat and things went down hill from there. The funny thing is I knew the interviewer very well. This has plagued me all my life.
My work requires numerous passwords and codes, and sometimes I choke on them. If I just do it without thinking, I can enter the codes easily. If I think about it ahead of time, I start to question it. Same thing happens at the bank machine with my PIN number. I can do it without thinking, but give it a thought and it's all over!!
In Zen or the Art of Archery, Eugen Herrigel describes that the archer must merge her/his mind with the target to hit the bull's eye.
We must learn to totally concentrate on the execution of the task at hand, and success will be ours.
For the teacher who was affected by the school shootings & anyone else affected by some trauma:
Interestingly, I found that NAET can really help with these things. I originally started NAET for treating my food & chemical allergies. Much to my surprise, major emotional events in my life have created blockages in the energy meridians to different organs within my body- including to my brain!
I've found that the chiropractic/ acupressure techniques used in NAET have helped those meridians start to flow smoothly again- having very noticeable physical and even mental results.
Unfortunately there are some who falsely claim to practice this therapy. You can avoid the fakes by seeing if your doctor is registered/ certified on the NAET website, www.naet.com
I'm wondering if "Choke" addresses exhausting oneself physically before the anxiety-causing event? I've learned intuitively (or desperately:) that working out to (almost) point of physical exhaustion before playing a game or the piano or speaking, in public, helps the anxiety.
I won a tennis tournament long ago, because the match lasted 4+ hours, we were both exhausted, but I played my best the last hour+. Same thing with any kind of performance in public. It might have helped, also, with the tennis match, that I was NOT supposed to win. The young woman I played was seeded in the state of Ohio. I'll never forget the reaction when the winner was announced: absolute and utter silence.
Advantages of being considered an underdog? Does it help if other people have lower expectations for one, than one has for oneself?
I look forward to reading "Choke," thank you for addressing what can be absolutely debilitating!
Try joining a group called ToastMasters. They teach you how to speak before a group in a safe, supportive and fun environment. The comfort you get speaking in front of these friends will translate into performing in front of others. It really does work, and it's translates into so many other parts of your life.
As a semiprofessional musician I can relate to this issue! And Ms. Beilock is right on target in suggesting ways to close the gap between practice and performance. There are retirement centers all over the country where outside performers are always welcome. The student guitarist, pianist, singer or whatever can do him-/herself AND the residents of the institutions a great deal of good by offering to give a 45-minute performance. These audiences are supportive and appreciative. It really is a performance in front of people you don't know, but at the same time, where a mistake doesn't spell doom. Ten performances of this sort and you're ready to play/sing in real competition.
Billie Jean King speaks about pressure as a privilege. It's the place you've worked so hard to get to. So enjoy the moment, try as hard as you can and go for it!! It's your moment, take ownership of it.
Also, a book by Bob Kreigel "the "C" Zone" speaks about the place between too focused and to relaxed where you are right in the moment and operating at maximum capacity.
Athletics seems to be a great place to observe choking issues. Creating a specific routines helps many athletics focus on the tasks that they can control and dismiss the consequences which they cannot.